Working with self publishing clients sometimes means waiting a long time before seeing the results in print. It takes a lot of fundraising to create a book. I can understand why clients sometimes hold onto their pictures for months or years before proceeding with a book. I would like to add some context by explaining why I took on one particular project last year.
I am always deeply troubled by conservation challenges. Rhino poaching in South Africa is an ongoing crisis because of human greed. Every time a species goes extinct, humans are the losers as biodiversity makes for a healthy environment which benefits us. Unfortunately not everyone thinks of the well being of other people and animals in the long term. I cannot fight the poaching system but I can illustrate environmental education campaigns or, in this case, children's books with heart.
While I cannot share very much about this little rhino book until it has been published, I am very pleased with the pictures and the story. It adds a glimmer of hope to a serious subject and encourages us to empathise with the animals, who are the main characters. I used saturated, surreal colours to enhance the expressiveness of the scenes and to add some intrigue.
The picture above is a cropped section of one of the illustrations from my portfolio and belongs to the author and myself.